Chapter 13: Candleberry's Demise

Little by little, the candlelights in Candleberry gradually extinguished. Emberlyn had successfully distributed all the candles from the dwindling supply; unbeknownst to the people, they were now out. Emberlyn reveled in the shadows because she had officially stolen the kingdom. In the dark, murky dungeon, Emberlyn gracefully walked down the spiral staircase and looked at her prisoners. She laughed as she held a candle by her face in search of the jailed dignitary and chamberlin.

"How ironic, the most wicked person in Candleberry bears the hope of light." Mr. Sumore muttered.

Emberlyn laughed as she stood behind the jail cell bars and looked up closer to the dignitary's face. "What would you have preferred, be stranded in the dark or to see one of our last candles burn bright in Candleberry?"

"I would rather be stranded in the dark then to see someone full of evil think that they are so generous by letting us see the kingdom run out of hope." Maya murmured bitterly.

Emberlyn grinned, "You may be surprised, but the people have rejoiced over your shackles. The kingdom now belongs to me, and it is only a matter of time before you all witness my absolute triumph. Your rebellion within the castle made me queen, and I guess I had forgotten to thank you for it."

"What brought about this change in you? This is not the Emberlyn we had known. You were never this way, how could you let Candleberry suffer, what do you possibly have against Brighton and Ronin? They have been your lifelong best friends!" Mr. Sumore shouted, confused.

Emberlyn's eyes started to faintly glow as she shouted back, slamming against the jail cell bars: "Don't act like none of you wanted my position as Royal Advisor. You were all threatened by my abilities, insecure by your feeble talents. It is not for you to know my reasons, nor should you disrespect and question your queen! Just be grateful that it is not you who I am after."

"You will never be the queen to me." Maya whispered.

"Everyone has already submitted to me whether you recognize it or not. The people have become so confused that taking the kingdom was child's play. They are so open to every wind of speeches that they were not firmly grounded on the truth. Like any good politician, I told them what they wanted to hear. The night is almost among us, and if Brighton and Ronin return, I will make them suffer just as they made my brother…" Emberlyn mocked arrogantly.

She blew out the candle in her hand, plunging the dungeon into darkness. Some prisoners nearby shrieked in fear as they saw her glowing golden eyes. Emberlyn ordered the prison guard to keep the dungeon locked and sealed from any source of light. The prisoners felt hopeless, and the burning candle that once fueled their hopes outside their cells officially burned out. However, the citizens out in the kingdom were completely unaware of their downfall. 

The people kept celebrating the Festival of Light. More candles were extinguished one by one, and the citizens carelessly used their lights. Emberlyn was a great politician. She was a smooth talker, and people desperately wanted to believe what she was saying. In addition, people were so mesmerized by her piercing golden eyes that they could not process the lies she told.

Emberlyn was gracefully crowned as queen. Everyone cheered from town square as she reassured the people of the everlasting light that shines in the kingdom that would never fade. Tucked away below the castle in the dungeons of despair, the prison guard hesitantly opened the dignitary's prison cell. 

"Come on, hurry here is the door!" The prison guard shouted.

"What's going on?" Mr. Sumore asked.

"I am setting you free. Emberlyn has gotten out of hand. I should have done something sooner. She is planning on executing all of you if you do not leave now! You need to go into hiding!" The guard stuttered.

"No, we can't go into hiding, who else is going to be able to stop Emberlyn?" Maya whispered worriedly.

"Don't worry about that. I have faith that Brighton and Ronin will return and save Candleberry. If you confront Emberlyn, she will have you all killed on the spot. She has the entire military at her disposal; even the royal court has become corrupted by her tactics. Everyone is going to be against you; no one must know where you are!" The prison guard replied.

Together, the guard quickly took Maya and Mr. Sumore to the main floor of the castle. The Candleberry guards walked down the halls, and once they disappeared, the prison guard helped Mr. Sumore and Maya flee from the castle.

"Where will we go?" Maya asked.

"You need to go to the outskirts of Candleberry. The people do not realize it, but the Candleberry military has been gradually surrounding the kingdom. Emberlyn is going to stop the people from fleeing the kingdom once they realized that there is no light left in the world!" The soldier whispered.

Mr. Sumore gasped in horror, then nodded his head. After saying their goodbyes and thanks, the prison guard went back into the castle, and Mr. Sumore and Maya cloaked themselves in hoods and fled the kingdom during the Festival of Light celebration. Maya and Mr. Sumore all looked back at Candleberry. They both sighed in sobs and yearned for their hope of restoration. Together, Maya and Mr. Sumore hid in one of the far-off country houses near the kingdom. Candleberry had blindly fallen into darkness.

Candleberry's demise continued to increase as all the lights in Candleberry gradually became snuffed out. On a cold night, from the castle's balconies, Emberlyn stood outside as she joyfully watched each of the candles extinguish. She smirked and laughed as she saw the candles displayed at night fade away and become consumed in the darkness. 

The joy of deceiving the people and plunging the kingdom into darkness numbed her conscience and hardened her heart. But the evil in her heart was never satisfied as she felt an empty void craving more. Emberlyn, shocked and speechless over the empty feeling of satisfaction, made her feel lost in the moment. Behind Emberlyn, one of the guards came up and spoke to her in distress: 

"Emberlyn, Maya, and Mr. Sumore escaped. We were going to execute them tonight as you asked, but they somehow escaped." The soldiers announced.

Emberlyn gritted her teeth in frustration and answered back, "So what? So, they escaped. What can they do to me? I have control of the kingdom. However, go hunt them down, and when you find them, kill them."

"Yes, Queen Emberlyn." The soldier replied and quickly fled the scene.